‘Ways & Means’
The Green
(Easy Star)
This has been a big year for The Green. Three months after the band’s self-titled debut album won the Na Hoku Hanohano Award for best reggae album in May, The Green released "Love & Affection: The EP," a five-song, digital-download package, as the first step of a well-executed promotional campaign leading up to last week’s release of a second full-length album, "Ways & Means." The extended-play version could easily win the group a Hoku next year in the new EP category, and the new album positions the Green as frontrunners for reggae album as well.
"Love & Affection," the title song of the EP, stands out again here as an album track with a fresh multigenre pop sound that’s closer to Bruno Mars than conventional "island music." Other than that, comfortable Jamaican-style rhythms predominate. However, when the core quartet and their musicians step outside that genre, the results are artistically successful and bode well for the future.
"Transparent People" adds a strong social message to the project: "You can’t judge a book by the color of its cover/Think of every woman as your sister or your mother … and every man your brethren like your father or your brother."
Those are good words for all Hawaii to live by.
www.thegreen808.com
"Decisions"
‘Salt’
Starr Kalahiki
(Kipuka)
It was almost exactly a year ago that Starr Kalahiki voiced all the female characters on ""Film Noir: The Musical," the soundtrack album of an as-yet-unstaged local musical. In reviewing it I wrote, "No question about it, it’s time for someone to produce an entire album on Kalahiki — jazz, pop standards, Hawaiian, whatever."
A year later Kalahiki and producer/pianist Kit Ebersbach have all those genres covered. Composers’ credits aren’t included, but her repertoire includes songs by Billy Strayhorn ("Lush Life"), Helen Desha Beamer ("Kawohikukapulani") and Burt Bacharach and Hal David ("Anyone Who Had a Heart").
Ebersbach and bassist Dean Taba are all she needs for accompaniment. The threesome’s spare and introspective take on "Anyone Who Had a Heart" works surprisingly well for a remake of such an iconic pop hit. "Popular" (from the Broadway musical "Wicked") and "The Other Side of the Moon" are other highlights.
A bonus track, "Heavenly Fascinating," takes Kalahiki into different musical territory. Replacing Ebersbach and Taba with John Signor on ukulele gives the song a hapa-haole ambience.
"Salt" would be a better calling card for Kalahiki if it contained some biographical information and a few words about why these songs appeal to her. But judged only by musical content, it should have plenty of support come Hoku Awards time.
www.starrkalahiki.com
"So Many Stars"
